MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

Carrie, the All-Star studded, World Series charging outfield of the the Great and Powerful Soriano, The Absolutley Mediocre DeJesus and The Next Savior Of The Day Schierholtz doesn’t impress? Good, nice to know you still have all your faculties!!! :) The cubs would have been better off with Reed Johnson, Tony Campana and Tyler Colvin….THAT says a lot.

Mamma Mia – That is fascinating. Now I know what Happy Festivus is. Thanks! I will read more about it later today. Boy oh boy do I have some grievances – but they are not baseball related. They are “mass killing” connected – 20 beautiful children and 6 brave teachers and 100’s of others this year because the NRA will not address the issue of people being allowed to own guns of mass destruction. I do believe people should be allowed to carry guns (rifles for hunting, etc.) but NOT the guns used in these murders. Sorry, I am venting. Anyway, that is my grievance today. Hope you air your grievances and get it all out of your system. LOL

Wow. I can see from all the comments about guns that it is going to be a long struggle to reach any conclusions or solutions to stopping mass shootings in the USA, It is called “freedom of speech” and we are blessed in this country to have that freedom. I also wonder how the freedom to carry guns helped those children in Newtown or the teachers who tried to save them. Was this our final signal to do something about people being allowed to carry guns of mass destruction? Has anyone heard what Gabby Gifford thinks about these guns?
Oh, I thought Mamma Mia said he had signed on to play 3rd base. Problem solved! LOL

Well if I can put my comment too about the guns issue I would like to. Im still in school and I have younger siblings in grammer. I was very angry because I saw my brother in some other little boy…it got me very, very angry! But I still dont think/agree with teachers having guns. How about take them away in general?? I know that this was a horrible tragedy and I hate what happened, but Im scared of what else might have happened if there Where more guns in the school.

Isabel, I am very glad to hear your views about the horrible tragedy that happened in Newtown. I know it must concern you deeply – your being in school and having younger siblings in school, too. I am very sorry that you have to have this kind of worry in your young life. I am sure there will be many, many debates and arguments concerning what to do about the mass murders that are occurring in this country. At this point I am terribly disappointed in the NRA’s take on the subject. All they can seem to think to do is put more and more guns in schools rather than remove the kind of guns used in the mass killings from the hands of the public. I think the best thing we can all do now is to SPEAK UP AND MAKE A HUGE NOISE about what needs to be done. I for one will NOT SHUT UP until I feel that I have done everything I can to see changes made in gun laws. I am proud of you for being a part of the conversation. I think those 20 beautiful children and 6 brave teachers would want us to fight for gun reform to prevent further massacres. You are a fine person.

Mamma Mia, Please tell me what Happy Festivus is. I have never heard the term before and feel rather stupid. Need to know please. Also, did you really sprain your wrist? My oh my – maybe 3rd base is waiting for you after all. LOL

Mamma, you realize you just opened the door to the possibilty of mental illness being responsable for such heinous acts of violence and NOT the guns? I can’t be sure but I would think that at least some of the parents of the slaughtered children wished that somebody on the scene other than the evildoer had such guns and used them to protect if not save some of the children??? I know this is not the forum to solve this most attrocious problem just felt another take on things was needed. A sane, responsable, GOOD person on the scene (think guards, police offers, military personal, JANITOR, PRINCIPAL, TEACHER,SECREATARY….ANYBODY) with a weapon to defend the innocent children….might, just might have been a good thing??? Just sayin’….
Only law abiding citizens would be prevented from obtaining BANNED weapons, CRIMINALS will get them as they ARE CRIMINALS. Again, just sayin’… WE NEED A WHOLE NEW OUTFIELD. Had to get at least one baseball comment in here :)

Nice. Maybe if “we” treated our most prized, defenseless citizens…and the schools they spend almost their entire childhood in like we treat (and protect) our elected officials from harm this country would be better off. Of course, then there was Bengazi…..sigh. That one is still firmly entrench under someone’s rug…. Another time…another topic. Third base, UUUUUUGLY.

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